Rail-joint.



No. 656,883. Patented Aug. 23, I900. C. B. EAMES.

RAIL JOINT.

(Application filed Jan. 26, 19

(No Model.)

WITNESSES l N VE N T0,?

iiari'eafizamem "gmmegw A rromvs PATENT Cri ical CHARLES E. EAMES, OFST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

RAlL JOINT.

I SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 656,883, dated August28, 1900.

Application filed January 26, 1900. Serial No. 2,929. (No model.)

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES B. EAMES, a citizen of the United States,residing at St. Louis, State of Missouri, have invented new and usefulImprovements in Rail'Joints, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in rail-joints; and it consists inthe novel combinationand arrangement of parts, as will be hereinaftermore specifically described and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical crosssection of a rail-jointconstructed according to my invention, taken through that portion of theseveral parts adjacent to one of the securing-bolts. improved nut, andFig. 3 is a detail side elevation of one of the spring-arch angle-barsfor receiving the nut.

The object of my invention is to construct a simple, practical, anddurable rail-jointthat is, one that will not only stand the rough usageto which the same is necessarily subjected, but, further, form apractical lock for permanently holding the several parts in a rigid andcompact position after the same are clamped together.

Briefly stated, the invention consists in the employment of the ordinaryrail without al= teration of any character and having the usual openingsformed therein adjacent to the meeting ends of the same, verticalspringarch angle-bars located on either side of the meeting ends of therails, one of which is provided with openings of smooth bore and theother having openings which are preferably rectangular in shape, nutshaving extensions, the latter or said extensions adapted to be freelyreceived by the rectangular openings formed in one of the angle-bars,and bolts having polygonal-shaped heads passing freely through theopenings in one of the angle-bars and web portions of the rails, thescrew threaded ends of said bolts being adapted to be received by thescrew-threaded openings formed in said nuts, whereby when a wrench orother tool is applied to the heads of the bolts the parts are firmlyclamped together and held in a locked position without the employment ofadditional fastening devices, all of which. will be hereinafter morefully described.

Fig. 2 is an end view of the Referring to the drawings, 1 represents arail of ordinary construction and composed of a ball or tread portion 2,base 3, web 4, connecting the tread portion with the base,

and openings 5, formed in said web for the to come in contact with theouter vertical flat surface of the opposite angle-bar 7, the last-namedangle-bar being provided with a rectangular-shaped opening 12, havinginclined walls, said opening being adapted to receive therectangular-shaped extension 13 of said nut, whereby the latter isprevented from turning when the nut 6 is screwed into the same forbinding the parts together.

As clearly shown in Fig. l of the drawings, the extension 13 of the nut11 is provided with inclined walls which correspond to the inner wallsof the opening 12 of the anglebar, whereby the said opening will alwaysreceive the said extension of the nut, notwithstanding any inaccuraciesin forming said opening or extension of the nut, and, further, the saidextension is of sufficient length to project beyond the inner surface ofthe anglebar, whereby a sufficient number of threads may be formed inthe nut for producing a sufficient amount of friction to hold the partstogether .after the same are brought into a clamped position.

The belt 6 is provided with a polygonalshaped head 14, which is adaptedto be brought in contact with the outer surface of one of the anglebars,which head also provides means for turning the bolt by the applicationof wrench or other tools.

From the construction of the device and the description of itsoperation'as before described it will be readily seen that angle bars ofthe usual construction maybe employed in carrying out my invention byforming rectangular openings in one set of the same after the usualcircular openings have been formed therein, or new angle-bars may beprovided for that'side of the rail and those previously formed withcircular openings used on the opposite side of the rail Without loss ofany angle-bars.

I do not limit myself to the rectangularshaped openings formed in one ofthe anglebars, as herein shown and described, as it is obvious that thesame may be elliptical or any other shape and the extensions of the nutsof a similar or corresponding shape, the principal object being to formthe parts in such a manner as to prevent the nuts from turning when thebolts are screwed into the same, and, further, to form the same in sucha manner as to provide a sufficient number of screw-threads therein toproduce sufficient friction or resistance to prevent the parts frombecoming released by the vibration of a train over the track.

I-Iaving fully described my invention, what I claim istionthereof, ofangle-bars located on either side of the rail, each of said angle-barsbeing provided with openings, the openings in one of said angle-barsbeing rectangular in shape, nuts having enlarged heads normally incontact with the outer surface of said angle-bars, rectangular-shapedextensions forming a part of said nuts, and having inclined sides, thesaid extensions adapted to be received by the rectangular-shapedopenings formed in one of the angle-bars, and extending beyond theinner'su'rface of the sa1ne,and bolts,the screwthreaded ends of whichare adapted to be received by screw-threaded openings formed in saidnuts, and extensions thereof, as and for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

CHARLES B. EAMES. WVitnesses:

O. F. KELLER, J. ANDERSON.

